It was a little over 9 years ago, that a small group of passionate locals sat down to sketch out a vision for a precinct like no other in Australia. It was to be the pinnacle of social enterprise - matching a genuine need for programs to address youth unemployment with the exciting business of motor sport.<>

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Since that time we've had hundreds of meetings with interested stakeholders - individuals, Clubs, business, Government - over thousands of volunteer hours. But despite those years of knocking on doors, it has simply been impossible to raise the funds necessary to complete the required ecological assessments and so we have had to withdraw our Development Application. <>

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Whilst this announcement marks the end of the social enterprise model, there is one final avenue that may yield a result - a purely commercial model. At various stages over the years, some individuals have expressed interest in the project not as a social enterprise but as a commercial venture, and so it is to those people we will be returning over the coming weeks.<>

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Our sincere thanks for your enthusiasm, patience and support over many long years - there with us as we continued in the belief that the social and economic benefits for our Central Coast region would ultimately prevail.<>

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Expressions of Interest from parties wishing to explore a commercial motor sport facility development are open until 5pm Friday 29th November. EOI's and queries to Paul Steer [email protected]<>

This sounds great for our current and future & former (me) hunter dogs race team!! unfortunately I cant be part of the actual race team anymore but i would love to be there in support of you Vince, Brett, Lewie and other race enthusiasts ive forgotten and missed sorry but my brains injured making me forget lots and act poorly sometimes when things dont go my way But maybe with some ideas i can design a race team shirts logo, my immediate thought was off a greyhound chewing a lesser non itialian brands wheels off or standing up on the back of a Ducati taking aim at a competitors helmet with some tinkle making them skid off into a sand trap Feel free to privately email me any other ideas or thoughts for me? Hopefully some other dogs can start digging the dirt up to make our local track finish construction!!!!

Another update; ever so slowly we move towards the capacity to go ... not so slowly...!

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Dear Vince,<>

Yes, we've been quiet, but there's still lots happening behind the scenes! Let no one be under the illusion that negotiating the myriad bureaucracies and rules to bring a motor sport precinct to fruition is easy, however the board is still up for the challenge because we really believe in this project.<>

In addition to the expected challenges associated with creating a new motor sport facility, all developers in NSW (and the Central Coast in particular) have been chasing moving goalposts when it comes to Biodiversity legislation.<>

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You might recall that in November 2016 we kicked off a fresh round of ecological studies that was going to involve species surveys at various times over a period of 12 months. About half way through that plan of works, the State Government announced proposed changes to the relevant legislation. For us, those changes would reduce the burden of work and increase the certainty of outcomes - very helpful! So without enough money to do the work under both old and new frameworks, we chose to wait for the new framework. Fast forward a few months, and no sooner had we started work under the new framework when the Central Coast was declared exempt from the new legislation. But... that was only a temporary deferral and our region will fall into line at the end of November this year. <>

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So where to from here? Now that we have certainty for the framework, we do need some final species surveys in late summer, followed by submission of the final report a month or two after. As this (and a couple of engineering plans) will be the last item outstanding from Council's assessment of the DA, we are hopeful of a decision very soon after.<>

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Of course this is all dependent upon fundraising, so we continue to seek out financial supporters - please let us know if you can contribute. On this note, we are very excited to announce a fundraising event very close to our hearts & minds...<>

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Brad Wilson<>

Co-Founder<>

CASAR Park<>

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DRIVE FOR A GREAT CAUSE.<>

We are extremely privileged to be charity co-partner of this exciting 3 day event in the lead up to the Newcastle Supercars round. From November 21 to 23 enjoy over 800km of our state's best roads and private racetracks, 5 star accommodation and meals, and all the while helping to raise money for the physical and social wellbeing of those less fortunate in our community.

Summary: Progress is good and all major hurdles have now been cleared, it is just a job to do!

The wheels continue to turn behind the scenes here at CASAR Park, with development application studies continuing and an opportunity to present at the Investing for Good conference hosted by the NSW Council of Social Service.

As our long-time supporters would know, the evolution of our project has also coincided with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment's drafting of the Central Coast Regional Plan. Whilst initially creating some mixed messages regarding ecology matters in the Bushell's Ridge area, the release of the final report in October 2016 has locked in our precinct as employment zone. With that uncertainty behind us, a new round of ecological studies commenced in November 2016, continuing through to October 2017.

Yes, we're as excited as you are about finally getting a new national-standard motor sport facility in NSW, but we're also a community organisation and we want to make sure that we're setting the best example for how to create jobs whilst respecting, preserving and even improving the natural environment around us.

Knowing that we'll be able to work through our ecological matters, we continue to develop our community partnerships, most recently with the Ability Links program. Working with local Central Coast staff, we'll be delivering best practice in venue design and operating policies to ensure an inclusive and accessible precinct for all forms of disability.

On the fundraising front, our potential for significant social impact saw us invited to present at the recent NCOSS Investing for Good conference in Sydney.

With social impact investment holding incredible potential for us, we were very excited to be the only social enterprise invited to pitch at the event. In this developing market, investors are learning about the opportunities to do good and make a return, government is developing its own capacity to invest in this way, and the community sector is working out how it can take advantage of this new market to do its important work.

As always, our thanks to all of our stakeholders for your ongoing support.

This month is all about profile raising. The support of the community (both local and motorsport generally) and their elected representatives is crucial in securing Government funding for construction. In turn this is crucial in enabling us to create a Community Motorsport facility - ie affordable and focused on grass-roots.

Please take 30 seconds out of your day to follow the link in the fundraising news article below and show your support for this regionally significant project.

We hope you enjoy sharing this exciting journey with us, and thank you for your ongoing support.

Not only have these gentlemen of motorsport made a generous financial contribution to our cause, they also bring a wealth of experience when it comes to track design and facilities layout. Many have been involved in setting up venues from scratch or attending venues as competitors around the world.

To see racing cars from the 1920's to 1990's in their natural environment, get along to their Tasman Trophy meeting on 29th/30th November.

How does 30 secs bring $10 million?

Join us in having a say on why CASAR is important for the Central Coast region....

We know we have thousands of supporters out there, and now is the time to make your voice heard!

'Like' our post on the link below and lets show the State Government that we deserve our fair share of funding.

Step 1 - click on the link below

Step 2 - click 'get started now' on the pop-up

Step 3 - click 'Like' (it's that easy!)

Follow this link and 'Like' like mad! Let's work together to hit 5,000 'Likes' by 15th November and really make some noise!

Did you know...

CASAR Park features as part of Priority One in the Coast's DMP?

The DMP is the Destination Management Plan and serves as the primary strategy for Tourism on the Central Coast. The Plan sets out a number of priority areas for growing this key industry, with Priority One focusing on Catalyst Projects. Out of 44 potential projects, a Motorsport venue was in the Top 5!

So when it comes to funding, being included in key regional strategies is absolutely critical and we are pleased that our hard work is being recognised.

It's always nice to get a pat on the back, and even nicer to get a heart-felt thank you. We've been speaking with a number of Clubs and enthusiasts during the last month, and the scale of our success in getting to this point has really hit home. So thanks for the "thank you's" and the "good on you's" it's nice to be appreciated and it fuels our passion (pun intended!) to keep charging ahead.

We hope you enjoy sharing this exciting journey with us, and thank you for your ongoing support.

Brad Wilson

Co-Founder

CASAR Park

A little insight into our track design direction

Our DA-related studies will certainly influence the final design, but...

...with the feedback we've received from our stakeholder engagement, together industry best practice and of course tailoring to our site topography we have an initial design that we're ready to start teasing!

Our fundraising moved to a whole new level this month as we ramp up to secure construction funding. All government funding at this level requires a DA in hand, so we're planting the seed now in readiness for the new year. At the State level, there are a number of funding precedents that give us confidence in our success - not least of which being $7mil to the ARDC for the recent track extensions, plus subsidising the V8 Supercars round at Homebush.

Did you know...

CASAR Park is a Community motor sport facility?

That means our focus is on club-level motor sport

(of the four and two-wheeled kind), ride days and drive days for all skill levels, drive "experiences", and rider / driver training. The kind of events where you can bring your family and friends along to share the joy of your passion.

And it's not just about the motor sport community. Our local Central Coast community can enjoy the Car and Bike Shows, markets and swap meets, and somewhere for the kids to play (and not just the ones into cars and bikes).

Of course thanks to all this economic activity our biggest community benefit will be in the form of jobs and training opportunities for the young unemployed in our region.

Whilst Ringwood Raceway is very slowly moving along, currently experiencing delays while a construction certificate is issued I am told, the Central Coast has come alive and is looking to build a full motorsport facility. It is in the area bounded by Doyalson Link Rd, the M1, and Bushells Ridge Rd. Click on the link at the bottom of this email to see a map and the latest newsletters, and check out more details of the track at http://www.casarpark.org.au where you too can subscribe to the newsletters if you want live updates (typically monthly).

This track is the Wyong Automotive Precinct rebirthed (see http://hunterdog.org.au/DiscussionBoard/index.php?topic=514.0 for some history). And this one is being done brilliantly, as a few locals refused to let a good idea die and they are well on the way to making it happen. This is where you come in. Yep YOU.

PLEASE click on this link: https://centralcoast.ourcommunitymap.com/rgp#marker/3623 and "Like" the proposal. The link opens a dialogue box - just close it and you will see the relevant Like button. Then tell your friends. Don't worry, it won't affect your Facebook account - this is genuine community polling and it just needs your vote. Thank you.